Thankful
by aingealeire
Summary: Just another Thanksgiving in Forks - Oneshot


_Just a little something to get you ready for Turkey day - it's a little hokey but 'tis the season to be hokey. ;) Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! PS - if you like this, show me and Alice the love and review.  
_

* * *

"I really appreciate you helping out tomorrow, Bells."

My head snapped up from my dinner as I looked at Charlie and I felt my face heat up as I glanced quickly in Edward's direction before looking back down at my table.

"It's not a problem dad." I said quietly, suddenly very interested in the food on my plate. I could feel Edward's questioning gaze on me and if it was at all possible, I was sure I resembled the color of an overly ripe tomato.

Charlie cleared his throat as he stood from the table to clear his place and took his plate to the sink. I looked up in time to see him brush his mustache nervously with his right index finger.

"It's a real good thing your doing, and I'm proud of you."

Words of praise or anything at all emotional from Charlie were rare and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face at his nervousness, my embarrassment forgotten.

"Thanks Char- er Dad."

He nodded and grabbed a fresh beer from the fridge and headed towards the living room to watch the flat screen.

Edward had been suspiciously quiet during the entire exchange and as I cleared our places - mine empty and his nearly full - I eyed him warily. I took the plates to sink and had just reached for the handle to run the water when I felt him come up beside me. Without a word he handed me a dish cloth and grabbed a dry one, assuming his position as official dish dryer.

We worked together silently for a while until I couldn't stand it anymore and I sighed loudly.

"Well?" I asked.

"Well what?" he said in an all too innocent tone. I narrowed my eyes and started scrubbing furiously at a non existent spot on the last dish. Edward chuckled and grabbed my scrubbing hand and I let the dish cloth and plate fall gently back into the water before turning to face him with a sigh.

"Charlie said he's proud of you for whatever plans you are keeping from me so they can't be too bad."

I scoffed and turned to pull the plug and watched the soapy water swirl down the drain.

"I'm not keeping anything from you, I just am not thrilled about spending the day with Jessica, Mike and Lauren."

At this news Edward raised an eyebrow at me and silently waited for my explanation.

I sighed again and was opened my mouth to explain when Charlie ducked his head in and said he was heading off to bed and gave a meaningful look between Edward and myself that I took to mean it was time for Edward to go "home".

"Goodnight Bella." said Charlie as he disappeared up the stairs. I nodded and grabbed Edward's hand as we walked slowly towards the front door. I pulled him out onto the porch and closed the door softly behind me before turning to him.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and mine went up on his shoulders as I buried my face in his neck.

"You're coming back right?" I whispered. He nodded and tightened his hold on me slightly.

"As soon as he's asleep."

Edward kissed the top of my head and pulled back slightly as I shivered.

"It's freezing out here, you need to get back inside."

"I don't feel cold." I said trying to pull him back to me. He smirked and leaned down to brush his lips against mine before he let me go.

"I'll see you soon." he whispered in my ear and then pushed me gently towards the door. I turned to look at where he'd been standing but he was already gone. I smiled slightly and shook my head as I pushed open the door and went back into the warm house.

After completing my after dinner kitchen routine I made my way upstairs and grabbed my toiletry bag from my room and disappeared into the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed.

I came back from my quick shower to find Edward sitting on my bed.

"That was quick." I said with a smirk, tossing my bag onto the desk and walking over to settle myself on his lap. I put my head on his shoulder and stroked the hair at the nape of his neck as his arms closed around me. I enjoyed this quiet moment for what seemed like a very short time before I felt Edward's cheek lift in a smile and I raised my head and pulled back slightly to look at him before I groaned.

"Alice knows." I said, putting my face in my hands. He pulled my hands away and laid them in my lap.

"Yes. She told me." he said. "Bella I don't understand why you are so embarrassed about this. I think it's wonderful that you agreed to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Meyer Shelter!"

"It's the least I could do, Edward. I'm happy to do it..I'm just not really into being the center of attention. I do that enough on my own without help, you know?" I said. "And I can't stand the idea of spending this amount of time with three of them! Jessica and Mike might come through for me but I'm afraid Lauren will be horrible."

"It's going to be 9 actually." said Edward.

I looked at him quizzically and he grinned at me. My heart skipped a beat and he laughed lightly as he pulled me back to his chest.

"When Alice saw what you were doing tomorrow she talked the entire family into helping out. You know how Esme loves to cook and Carlisle loved the idea. The whole family wanted to come."

I raised an eyebrow at him in doubt. Rosalie wanted to put on an apron?

Edward grinned again. "Well Alice might've had to talk Rosalie into it but Emmett was all too happy to help convince her."

I smiled at the vision of the Cullen men donning aprons and wearing hair nets. I snickered at the idea of Edward spooning out yams while wearing gloves and the netting around his hair.

I yawned and Edward gently lifted me off his lap and we both stood while he pulled down the covers and I crawled into bed. He turned out the beside light and pulled the covers over me, settling down on top of them. Putting an arm around my waist he pulled me to his chest and kissed my shoulder.

"You are a warm and giving person and I echo Charlie completely. I am very proud of you."

My eyes drifted shut and the last thing I heard was Edward humming my lullaby.

* * *

Edward woke me with a kiss before my alarm went off and as I sat up and stretched him smiling at me with an amused look and I rolled my eyes as I got up.

"What did I say this time?"

He laughed and I couldn't help but smile back at him, he was beautiful.

"I believe you must've been running from a very large, scary turkey."

My mouth fell open as he chuckled.

"I don't even want to know what I said that makes you think that." I said over my shoulder before heading for the bathroom with my bag to get dressed for the day.

When I came back Edward was gone and in his place was a tiny pixie with spiky black hair rummaging through my closet.

"Alice what are you doing?" I said, pulling the towel off my wet head and squeezing the water out of my hair.

"I'm helping you dress for the occasion!" she said with a muffled chirp from deep inside the closet.

"I'm serving yams and turkey, I don't think it's an occasion for formal wear."

Alice popped out of the closet and put her hands on her tiny hips and glared at me.

"Everything is an occasion Isabella."

She looked at my faded jeans and t shirt and then finally at my wet, uncombed hair and huffed before turning back to the clothes.

Alice pulled out a very nice dark blue sweater I wasn't aware owned a dark pair of skinny jeans.

"You can have a ponytail today." she said excitedly as she thrust the clothes at me. I rolled my eyes and headed back to the bathroom with the arm full of clothes and used the blow dryer to tame my hair before smoothing it back into a ponytail. I dressed quickly and returned to my room to find a apron with a huge turkey on it laying on my bed. I eyed it warily but grabbed it before heading downstairs to meet Charlie at the station.

* * *

The Meyer Shelter was in Port Angeles and the closest one to our little town of Forks. Charlie always had a few of his staff help out but this year they'd been unable to do it and we'd both volunteered, me not knowing that the school had roped my old lunch crowd into volunteering as well.

Knowing that the Cullens would be there was not really any comfort to me. They meant well but I had an extremely hard time imagining my unnaturally beautiful family serving dead animals to the shelter's inhabitants. I snorted at the ridiculous image in my head and took a deep breath as Charlie pulled the cruiser in to the parking lot.

I didn't see any of the Cullen cars and wondered if they had arrived. Knowing them the way I did, I imagined that if Edward was here he'd probably ran the whole way. After another glance I did notice Lauren's car but aside from that I didn't recognize the others.

As we entered the dining room I felt the distinct urge to slap my forehead at the sight in front of me.

As far as the eye could see there were people filling the tables with beautiful place settings and table clothes and when I walked through the rows to get to the back where the food tables were I noticed for the first time what they were wearing. Some had fancy necklaces, and a brooch or two. Some were wearing ties and others had very nice coats and hats as well as scarfs and it was then I noticed little Alice in the corner clapping her hands and grinning from ear to ear. I hurried my pace to reach her and she immediately pulled me into a hug.

"Oh Bella isn't this great?!" she exclaimed.

I pulled back from her and looked around the room again.

"Alice, what did you do?" I asked but I feared I already knew the answer.

"I brought a ton of things that were donated!" she said, her amber eyes sparkling. I narrowed my eyes slightly at her in disbelief.

"Donated?"

"Oh come on Bella, you know that I don't let anyone wear the same clothes twice! I cleaned everyone's closets before we came!" she said excitedly.

My jaw dropped and I was staring at her in shock, trying to come up with something to say when I felt two cool arms slip around me from behind.

"She cleans our closets all the time." Edward whispered in my ear. "She normally takes them to the nearest drop off center or shelter, so she decided that they'd come here this year."

I couldn't help but laugh and be happy that Alice was so happy. I turned to hug Edward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. I was about to tease him about his distinct lack of hair net but I was distracted by the big booming voice of Emmett from outside.

I looked towards the doors and saw Carlisle carrying several bags with Esme, Jasper, Rosalie behind him. I looked behind them for Emmett and covered my mouth with my hand to stifle my laughter at the sight before me.

Emmett came in carrying pies with a shirt on that said "Thanksgimme" with a picture of a Pilgrim eating a turkey leg on the front of it and pink frilly apron tied around his waist.

Sometime later after everything had been set up and a buffet line had been established I stood back for a moment to watch them all.

Rosalie had been immediately drawn to a small child with dark hair and was quietly talking to her at a table in the corner while Emmett was telling a few teenagers jokes by the same pies he'd brought in.

Charlie, Esme and Carlisle were doling out portions of sweet potatoes and turkey or ham and Alice was side by side with Jessica, Mike and Lauren dishing out green beans, corn and stuffing. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that Lauren was being polite and most of the people where were coming through the line with smiles.

When I got to Edward with his unruly bronze hair tamed under the hair net, apron and a smile serving a woman with small children, I smiled. He looked up at me and winked before giving me the crooked grin I loved so well.

I'd never felt more thankful.


End file.
